Still or retort.



H. MACRAE.

STILL 0R RETORT.

APPLICATION FILED III/III. 28. IsIa.

Patented June 4, 1918.

2 SHEETS-SHEET1.

H. NlAcRAE.

STILL 0R RETORI.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 28. 1913.

l ,268,742. Patented June 4, 1918 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2. ",m

N Mib Zug/ MME@ mrow/Md structive distillation while another part of 30 products maybe transferredto another part :1, STES sTILL on nEToRT.

\ To azlcuhom tmf/zy concern:

Be it known that -I HUGH MacRAE, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Wilmington, in the county of New Hanover, Stateof North Carolina, have invented certain newanduseful Improvements in 4Stills or Retorts, of.` which `the, following is a de` scription, reference being had to the accompanying .drawingsforming a part hereof.

C My invention :relates yto retorts orr stills .1 for destructive distillation of resinous or otherhwood or j other non-liquid material capable of being introduced into the retort orstill in `fragments `or pieces, and my invention has for` its objectfto provide a retort orstill which will be'adapted to continuous use; that is,`will be adapted to permit fresh material to be introduced and eX- hausted, materialto be removed at the same time and without waiting to cool down the retort `or still. A further object of my invention is to lprovide a retort or still in whicha part of the contents `may be subjectedto theheatnecessary to drive 01T the more volatile products without causing dethelcontents yis being subjected toa higher heat, and to provide a retort or still in which material which has been subjected `to the heat necessary` to drive ofi themore volatile of theretort or still lwhere it maybe sub-V jected to higherheat, from` which part `of the retort or stilltit maybe subsequently transferredto another part of the still and thus subjected to still higher heat to drive oli the last of the liquid products and convert the residue into charcoal.

With these and other objects hereinafter described in view `ofmyinvention consists in the construction andcombination of elements `hereinafter described and particularly pointed out in theclaims. i y

Referring to the drawings, j Figure A1 is a `vertical central sectional view ofa retortor still embodying my invention. o AEFigs. 2 and Bare ,horizontal sectional views on lines c aand ZPL-b respectivelyof Fig. `1, and j f Eig. 4 is a detail vertical sectional view showing the means for operating the doors between the compartments.

Specicationof Letters Patent.

In the drawings, lindicates the outerwall of a retort or still, here shown as cylindrical and arranged with its axis vertical. At its upper endthe retort or kiln is provided with `a charging hopper 2, into which the material to be subjected to distillation may be.. deposited. At its lower end the retort or still is provided with a discharge funnel 3, preferably arranged to lead to one side of p Patented June 4, 1918.

`Application led March 28, 1918. Serial No. 225,371. o

the retort or still and arranged to discharge i into a car 4.-., The retort or stillisdivided by horizontal partitions 5 and 6 into three parts or compartments 7 ,f8 `and 9.l These partitions may be more or less ythan two in number, dividing the retort or still into two, threeor `more compartments. At the top between the upper compartment 7 and the charging hopper 2, is a partition 11, and at the bottom `between the lower compartment 9 and the discharge funnel 3 is a partition V10. `Each of the partitions 5, 6, 10 and 11 is provided with one or more openings, which may be closed by" a door. One of these partitions is shown in Fig. 3 in which 12 indicates the openings. ando-13 the doors for closing them, these doors being arranged to rotate on a central tube 14, and being connectedA together to a ring 15,'which'` is provided with a rack 16 with which meshes a gear` 17 on ahorizontal shaft 18, which extends through the outer wallof the retort and istV provided at its outer end with a hand wheel 19 for operatingit. Any other form` of closing device may be used, it being essential only that the partitions be provided` with one `orV more openings of suliicient size to permit the material yto be subjected to distillation to pass through it and be also provided with means for closing the opening or openings. Each oil which is non-volatile, at the temperatures necessary' to effect the" distillation. The upper compartments are also preferably provided with a coil of pipe 25, having openings or perforations in it, through which steam may be discharged if desired into the compartments to aid in or modify the action Qftheheatingycoils in drawing oli the products desired.

The partitions 5, 6, l0 and 11 should be as nearly non-heat-conducting as they can be practieally made, either by the use of nonconducting' material, such as mineral wool, asbestos yor similar material, o1" by heilig oonstruetedin any other preferredmanner to" prevent the transfer of "heat from one compartment to another. y

The lowest compartmnt is preferably without heatingmeans, so as to permit materialwhich has been heated to the point of carbonization tol cool, so that it may be dis-I` I charged into the funnel 3 without danger of its taking fire.

` The, enter wall l is preferably formed double, with the space between thektwo sheets of which it is formed packed with non-conducting material, such asu mineral wool, in the compartment which forms the wall lof the upper compartment.

y In the part whih forms the wall for the lowest compartment this space is left empty to form a water jacket, with inlet 30' and outlet `31.

In operation the material to be subjected to distillation is fed into the hopper 2, and the doors in the partition 11 being opened,

I drops through the openings into the Lipper compartment 7 and, the compartment being filled,A the ldoors in the partition 11,A are closed.` Heat` being supplied to this compartment and, the heat being regulated to the proper degree, the more volatile products, such as' tur'pentine if `the retort n or still is to le@ ilSed for the distillation of pine wood,`,are driven off and led away through the oifftake' "of the compartment to suitable condensing apparatus (notshown). When the distillation has continued, either with or without the use ofy steam', either wet or superheated, until the turpentine has been driven on?, either, completely, or as completely as is found practicable, the doors in partition 5 are opened and the material in the upper compartr'nent,y is allowed to fall through the openings in the partition into compartment 8, and when compartment 7 is thus emptied the.` openings in `the partition are closed.

he material, without losing heat, is then subjected inlcompartment 8 to heat suinciently high to cause destructive distillation and the drawing oft of the products which i are volatile at such high temperatures. The

heat be increased by successive stages,

or otherwise, tothe poi-nt at which the wood is' carbonized, and when this operation is complete the doors in partition 6 are opened and the charcoal and other residues, if any, remaining in the compartment are allowed to fall into the lowest compartment, where it is allowed to cool.

` `,As soonas the upper compartment is emptied of its contents into the middle compartment a" fresh charge of material is introduced into the upper compartment and the distillation process inthe two compartments is preferably sotiined that when the distillation inthe one'is-completed the distillation in the other is completed, soithat" as soon as the middle compartment is emptied'it` may be refilled from the'y upper compartment and the uppercompartment be refilled' from thei charging hopper:

` Having thus described-my invention, `Wint Iclaim and desire to secure by Letters Patl' means'for supplying aheating mediurntotheV heating pipes of the different compartments independently, and separate offt'akes for the products' of distillation leading from the different compartments,the oiftake for the lower compartment leading from near the partitionE at the upper end of the compart- 1n`e nt.` y

2; A vertically arranged retort orstili comprising an'outer wall, apartition extending across the interior of the retort or still having openings and means, for closing them, said partition separating the retort or still intoc upper and lowercompartments, heating pipes for heating thecompartments, means; for'supplying a heating medium to theV heating pipes of the diiferent compartments independently, separate offtalres for the products of distillation leading from the different compartments, the offtake for" the lower compartment leading from near the partition at the upper end ofthe eomliartment, a second partition extending across the interior of the retort or still at the lower end of the lower compartment having openings and means for fclosing them, said second partition separating the lower compartment from a chamber below it, and means for cooling said` chamber. l

8. IA. vertically arranged retort or still comprising an outerwall, a central tube, a partition surrounding the central 'tube and extending across the interior of the retort or still having openings and means for closing them said partition separating the lation leading from the different compartretort or stili into upper and lower annular ments, the oi'take for a lower compartment compartments, heating pipes for heating leading from near the partition at the upper 10 the compartments, means for supplying a end of the compartment.

- 5 heating medium to the heating pipes of the In testimony whereof I aX my signature diffe-rent compartments independently, and this 19th day. of January, 1918.

separate offtakes for the products of distil- HUGH MAGRAE.

Copies ot this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the "Commissioner of Patents. Washington, ID. C. 

